libSBML Python API  5.10.0
 All Classes Namespaces Files Functions Variables Modules Pages
libsbml.RateRule Class Reference
Inheritance diagram for libsbml.RateRule:
[legend]

Detailed Description

{core}

Implementation of SBML's RateRule construct.

The rule type RateRule is derived from the parent class Rule. It is used to express equations that determine the rates of change of variables. The left-hand side (the 'variable' attribute) can refer to the identifier of a species, compartment, or parameter (but not a reaction). The entity identified must have its 'constant' attribute set to False. The effects of a RateRule are in general terms the same, but differ in the precise details depending on which variable is being set:

  • In the case of a species, a RateRule sets the rate of change of the species' quantity (concentration or amount of substance) to the value determined by the formula in the 'math' subelement of the RateRule object. The overall units of the formula in 'math' should (in SBML Level 2 Version 4 and in SBML Level 3) or must (in SBML releases prior to Level 2 version 4) be equal to the unit of species quantity divided by the model-wide unit of time. Restrictions: There must not be both a RateRule 'variable' attribute and a SpeciesReference 'species' attribute having the same value, unless that species has its 'boundaryCondition' attribute is set to True. This means a rate rule cannot be defined for a species that is created or destroyed in a reaction, unless that species is defined as a boundary condition in the model.

  • (For SBML Level 3 only) In the case of a species reference, a RateRule sets the rate of change of the stoichiometry of the referenced reactant or product to the value determined by the formula in 'math'. The unit associated with the value produced by the 'math' formula should be consistent with the unit 'dimensionless' divided by the model-wide unit of time.

  • In the case of a compartment, a RateRule sets the rate of change of the compartment's size to the value determined by the formula in the 'math' subelement of the RateRule object. The overall units of the formula should (in SBML Level 2 Version 4 and in SBML Level 3) or must (in SBML releases prior to Level 2 version 4) be the units of the compartment's size divided by the model-wide unit of time.

  • In the case of a parameter, a RateRule sets the rate of change of the parameter's value to that determined by the formula in the 'math' subelement of the RateRule object. The overall units of the formula should (in SBML Level 2 Version 4 and in SBML Level 3) or must (in SBML releases prior to Level 2 version 4) be the Parameter object's 'unit' attribute value divided by the model-wide unit of time.

In the context of a simulation, rate rules are in effect for simulation time t < 0. Please consult the relevant SBML specification for additional information about the semantics of assignments, rules, and entity values for simulation time t <= 0.

As mentioned in the description of AssignmentRule, a model must not contain more than one RateRule or AssignmentRule object having the same value of 'variable'; in other words, in the set of all assignment rules and rate rules in an SBML model, each variable appearing in the left-hand sides can only appear once. This simply follows from the fact that an indeterminate system would result if a model contained more than one assignment rule for the same variable or both an assignment rule and a rate rule for the same variable.

General summary of SBML rules

In SBML Level 3 as well as Level 2, rules are separated into three subclasses for the benefit of model analysis software. The three subclasses are based on the following three different possible functional forms (where x is a variable, f is some arbitrary function returning a numerical result, V is a vector of variables that does not include x, and W is a vector of variables that may include x):

Algebraic:left-hand side is zero0 = f(W)
Assignment:left-hand side is a scalar:x = f(V)
Rate:left-hand side is a rate-of-change:dx/dt = f(W)

In their general form given above, there is little to distinguish between assignment and algebraic rules. They are treated as separate cases for the following reasons:

  • Assignment rules can simply be evaluated to calculate intermediate values for use in numerical methods. They are statements of equality that hold at all times. (For assignments that are only performed once, see InitialAssignment.)
  • SBML needs to place restrictions on assignment rules, for example the restriction that assignment rules cannot contain algebraic loops.
  • Some simulators do not contain numerical solvers capable of solving unconstrained algebraic equations, and providing more direct forms such as assignment rules may enable those simulators to process models they could not process if the same assignments were put in the form of general algebraic equations;
  • Those simulators that can solve these algebraic equations make a distinction between the different categories listed above; and
  • Some specialized numerical analyses of models may only be applicable to models that do not contain algebraic rules.

The approach taken to covering these cases in SBML is to define an abstract Rule structure containing a subelement, 'math', to hold the right-hand side expression, then to derive subtypes of Rule that add attributes to distinguish the cases of algebraic, assignment and rate rules. The 'math' subelement must contain a MathML expression defining the mathematical formula of the rule. This MathML formula must return a numerical value. The formula can be an arbitrary expression referencing the variables and other entities in an SBML model.

Each of the three subclasses of Rule (AssignmentRule, AlgebraicRule, RateRule) inherit the the 'math' subelement and other fields from SBase. The AssignmentRule and RateRule classes add an additional attribute, 'variable'. See the definitions of AssignmentRule, AlgebraicRule and RateRule for details about the structure and interpretation of each one.

Additional restrictions on SBML rules

An important design goal of SBML rule semantics is to ensure that a model's simulation and analysis results will not be dependent on when or how often rules are evaluated. To achieve this, SBML needs to place two restrictions on rule use. The first concerns algebraic loops in the system of assignments in a model, and the second concerns overdetermined systems.

A model must not contain algebraic loops

The combined set of InitialAssignment, AssignmentRule and KineticLaw objects in a model constitute a set of assignment statements that should be considered as a whole. (A KineticLaw object is counted as an assignment because it assigns a value to the symbol contained in the 'id' attribute of the Reaction object in which it is defined.) This combined set of assignment statements must not contain algebraic loops—dependency chains between these statements must terminate. To put this more formally, consider a directed graph in which nodes are assignment statements and directed arcs exist for each occurrence of an SBML species, compartment or parameter symbol in an assignment statement's 'math' subelement. Let the directed arcs point from the statement assigning the symbol to the statements that contain the symbol in their 'math' subelement expressions. This graph must be acyclic.

SBML does not specify when or how often rules should be evaluated. Eliminating algebraic loops ensures that assignment statements can be evaluated any number of times without the result of those evaluations changing. As an example, consider the set of equations x = x + 1, y = z + 200 and z = y + 100. If this set of equations were interpreted as a set of assignment statements, it would be invalid because the rule for x refers to x (exhibiting one type of loop), and the rule for y refers to z while the rule for z refers back to y (exhibiting another type of loop). Conversely, the following set of equations would constitute a valid set of assignment statements: x = 10, y = z + 200, and z = x + 100.

A model must not be overdetermined

An SBML model must not be overdetermined; that is, a model must not define more equations than there are unknowns in a model. An SBML model that does not contain AlgebraicRule structures cannot be overdetermined.

LibSBML implements the static analysis procedure described in Appendix B of the SBML Level 3 Version 1 Core specification for assessing whether a model is overdetermined.

(In summary, assessing whether a given continuous, deterministic, mathematical model is overdetermined does not require dynamic analysis; it can be done by analyzing the system of equations created from the model. One approach is to construct a bipartite graph in which one set of vertices represents the variables and the other the set of vertices represents the equations. Place edges between vertices such that variables in the system are linked to the equations that determine them. For algebraic equations, there will be edges between the equation and each variable occurring in the equation. For ordinary differential equations (such as those defined by rate rules or implied by the reaction rate definitions), there will be a single edge between the equation and the variable determined by that differential equation. A mathematical model is overdetermined if the maximal matchings of the bipartite graph contain disconnected vertexes representing equations. If one maximal matching has this property, then all the maximal matchings will have this property; i.e., it is only necessary to find one maximal matching.)

Rule types for SBML Level 1

SBML Level 1 uses a different scheme than SBML Level 2 and Level 3 for distinguishing rules; specifically, it uses an attribute whose value is drawn from an enumeration of 3 values. LibSBML supports this using methods that work with the enumeration values listed below.

Public Member Functions

def addCVTerm
 
def appendAnnotation
 
def appendNotes
 
def clone
 
def containsUndeclaredUnits
 
def disablePackage
 
def enablePackage
 
def getAncestorOfType
 
def getAnnotation
 
def getAnnotationString
 
def getColumn
 
def getCVTerm
 
def getCVTerms
 
def getDerivedUnitDefinition
 
def getElementByMetaId
 
def getElementBySId
 
def getElementName
 
def getFormula
 
def getL1TypeCode
 
def getLevel
 
def getLine
 
def getListOfAllElements
 
def getListOfAllElementsFromPlugins
 
def getMath
 
def getMetaId
 
def getModel
 
def getModelHistory
 
def getNamespaces
 
def getNotes
 
def getNotesString
 
def getNumCVTerms
 
def getNumPlugins
 
def getPackageName
 
def getPackageVersion
 
def getParentSBMLObject
 
def getPlugin
 
def getPrefix
 
def getResourceBiologicalQualifier
 
def getResourceModelQualifier
 
def getSBMLDocument
 
def getSBOTerm
 
def getSBOTermAsURL
 
def getSBOTermID
 
def getType
 
def getTypeCode
 
def getUnits
 
def getURI
 
def getVariable
 
def getVersion
 
def hasRequiredAttributes
 
def hasRequiredElements
 
def hasValidLevelVersionNamespaceCombination
 
def isAlgebraic
 
def isAssignment
 
def isCompartmentVolume
 
def isPackageEnabled
 
def isPackageURIEnabled
 
def isParameter
 
def isPkgEnabled
 
def isPkgURIEnabled
 
def isRate
 
def isScalar
 
def isSetAnnotation
 
def isSetFormula
 
def isSetMath
 
def isSetMetaId
 
def isSetModelHistory
 
def isSetNotes
 
def isSetSBOTerm
 
def isSetUnits
 
def isSetVariable
 
def isSpeciesConcentration
 
def matchesRequiredSBMLNamespacesForAddition
 
def matchesSBMLNamespaces
 
def removeFromParentAndDelete
 
def removeTopLevelAnnotationElement
 
def renameMetaIdRefs
 
def renameSIdRefs
 
def renameUnitSIdRefs
 
def replaceTopLevelAnnotationElement
 
def setAnnotation
 
def setFormula
 
def setL1TypeCode
 
def setMath
 
def setMetaId
 
def setModelHistory
 
def setNamespaces
 
def setNotes
 
def setSBOTerm
 
def setUnits
 
def setVariable
 
def toSBML
 
def toXMLNode
 
def unsetAnnotation
 
def unsetCVTerms
 
def unsetId
 
def unsetMetaId
 
def unsetModelHistory
 
def unsetName
 
def unsetNotes
 
def unsetSBOTerm
 
def unsetUnits
 

Member Function Documentation

def libsbml.SBase.addCVTerm (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

addCVTerm(SBase self, CVTerm term, bool newBag=False)   int
addCVTerm(SBase self, CVTerm term)   int

Adds a copy of the given CVTerm object to this SBML object.

Parameters
termthe CVTerm to assign.
newBagif True, creates a new RDF bag with the same identifier as a previous bag, and if False, adds the term to an existing RDF bag with the same type of qualifier as the term being added.
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
Note
Since the CV Term uses the 'metaid' attribute of the object as a reference, if the object has no 'metaid' attribute value set, then the CVTerm will not be added.
This method should be used with some caution. The fact that this method copies the object passed to it means that the caller will be left holding a physically different object instance than the one contained inside this object. Changes made to the original object instance (such as resetting attribute values) will not affect the instance in this object. In addition, the caller should make sure to free the original object if it is no longer being used, or else a memory leak will result. Please see other methods on this class (particularly a corresponding method whose name begins with the word create) for alternatives that do not lead to these issues.
Documentation note:
The native C++ implementation of this method defines a default argument value. In the documentation generated for different libSBML language bindings, you may or may not see corresponding arguments in the method declarations. For example, in Java and C#, a default argument is handled by declaring two separate methods, with one of them having the argument and the other one lacking the argument. However, the libSBML documentation will be identical for both methods. Consequently, if you are reading this and do not see an argument even though one is described, please look for descriptions of other variants of this method near where this one appears in the documentation.
def libsbml.SBase.appendAnnotation (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

appendAnnotation(SBase self, XMLNode annotation)   int
appendAnnotation(SBase self, string annotation)   int

This method has multiple variants that differ in the arguments they accept. Each is described separately below.


Method variant with the following signature:
appendAnnotation(XMLNode annotation)

Appends the given annotation to the 'annotation' subelement of this object.

Whereas the SBase 'notes' subelement is a container for content to be shown directly to humans, the 'annotation' element is a container for optional software-generated content not meant to be shown to humans. Every object derived from SBase can have its own value for 'annotation'. The element's content type is XML type 'any', allowing essentially arbitrary well-formed XML data content.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

Unlike SBase.setAnnotation() or SBase.setAnnotation(), this method allows other annotations to be preserved when an application adds its own data.

Parameters
annotationan XML structure that is to be copied and appended to the content of the 'annotation' subelement of this object
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getAnnotationString()
isSetAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
unsetAnnotation()

Method variant with the following signature:
appendAnnotation(string annotation)

Appends the given annotation to the 'annotation' subelement of this object.

Whereas the SBase 'notes' subelement is a container for content to be shown directly to humans, the 'annotation' element is a container for optional software-generated content not meant to be shown to humans. Every object derived from SBase can have its own value for 'annotation'. The element's content type is XML type 'any', allowing essentially arbitrary well-formed XML data content.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

Unlike SBase.setAnnotation() or SBase.setAnnotation(), this method allows other annotations to be preserved when an application adds its own data.

Parameters
annotationan XML string that is to be copied and appended to the content of the 'annotation' subelement of this object
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getAnnotationString()
isSetAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
unsetAnnotation()
def libsbml.SBase.appendNotes (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

appendNotes(SBase self, XMLNode notes)   int
appendNotes(SBase self, string notes)   int

This method has multiple variants that differ in the arguments they accept. Each is described separately below.


Method variant with the following signature:
appendNotes(string notes)

Appends the given notes to the 'notes' subelement of this object.

The content of the parameter notes is copied.

The optional SBML element named 'notes', present on every major SBML component type, is intended as a place for storing optional information intended to be seen by humans. An example use of the 'notes' element would be to contain formatted user comments about the model element in which the 'notes' element is enclosed. Every object derived directly or indirectly from type SBase can have a separate value for 'notes', allowing users considerable freedom when adding comments to their models.

The format of 'notes' elements must be XHTML 1.0. To help verify the formatting of 'notes' content, libSBML provides the static utility method SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax(); however, readers are urged to consult the appropriate SBML specification document for the Level and Version of their model for more in-depth explanations. The SBML Level 2 and  3 specifications have considerable detail about how 'notes' element content must be structured.

Parameters
notesan XML string that is to appended to the content of the 'notes' subelement of this object
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getNotesString()
isSetNotes()
setNotes()
setNotes()
appendNotes()
unsetNotes()
SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax()

Method variant with the following signature:
appendNotes(XMLNode notes)

Appends the given notes to the 'notes' subelement of this object.

The content of notes is copied.

The optional SBML element named 'notes', present on every major SBML component type, is intended as a place for storing optional information intended to be seen by humans. An example use of the 'notes' element would be to contain formatted user comments about the model element in which the 'notes' element is enclosed. Every object derived directly or indirectly from type SBase can have a separate value for 'notes', allowing users considerable freedom when adding comments to their models.

The format of 'notes' elements must be XHTML 1.0. To help verify the formatting of 'notes' content, libSBML provides the static utility method SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax(); however, readers are urged to consult the appropriate SBML specification document for the Level and Version of their model for more in-depth explanations. The SBML Level 2 and  3 specifications have considerable detail about how 'notes' element content must be structured.

Parameters
notesan XML node structure that is to appended to the content of the 'notes' subelement of this object
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getNotesString()
isSetNotes()
setNotes()
setNotes()
appendNotes()
unsetNotes()
SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax()
def libsbml.RateRule.clone (   self)

{core}

Implementation of SBML's RateRule construct.

The rule type RateRule is derived from the parent class Rule. It is used to express equations that determine the rates of change of variables. The left-hand side (the 'variable' attribute) can refer to the identifier of a species, compartment, or parameter (but not a reaction). The entity identified must have its 'constant' attribute set to False. The effects of a RateRule are in general terms the same, but differ in the precise details depending on which variable is being set:

  • In the case of a species, a RateRule sets the rate of change of the species' quantity (concentration or amount of substance) to the value determined by the formula in the 'math' subelement of the RateRule object. The overall units of the formula in 'math' should (in SBML Level 2 Version 4 and in SBML Level 3) or must (in SBML releases prior to Level 2 version 4) be equal to the unit of species quantity divided by the model-wide unit of time. Restrictions: There must not be both a RateRule 'variable' attribute and a SpeciesReference 'species' attribute having the same value, unless that species has its 'boundaryCondition' attribute is set to True. This means a rate rule cannot be defined for a species that is created or destroyed in a reaction, unless that species is defined as a boundary condition in the model.

  • (For SBML Level 3 only) In the case of a species reference, a RateRule sets the rate of change of the stoichiometry of the referenced reactant or product to the value determined by the formula in 'math'. The unit associated with the value produced by the 'math' formula should be consistent with the unit 'dimensionless' divided by the model-wide unit of time.

  • In the case of a compartment, a RateRule sets the rate of change of the compartment's size to the value determined by the formula in the 'math' subelement of the RateRule object. The overall units of the formula should (in SBML Level 2 Version 4 and in SBML Level 3) or must (in SBML releases prior to Level 2 version 4) be the units of the compartment's size divided by the model-wide unit of time.

  • In the case of a parameter, a RateRule sets the rate of change of the parameter's value to that determined by the formula in the 'math' subelement of the RateRule object. The overall units of the formula should (in SBML Level 2 Version 4 and in SBML Level 3) or must (in SBML releases prior to Level 2 version 4) be the Parameter object's 'unit' attribute value divided by the model-wide unit of time.

In the context of a simulation, rate rules are in effect for simulation time t < 0. Please consult the relevant SBML specification for additional information about the semantics of assignments, rules, and entity values for simulation time t <= 0.

As mentioned in the description of AssignmentRule, a model must not contain more than one RateRule or AssignmentRule object having the same value of 'variable'; in other words, in the set of all assignment rules and rate rules in an SBML model, each variable appearing in the left-hand sides can only appear once. This simply follows from the fact that an indeterminate system would result if a model contained more than one assignment rule for the same variable or both an assignment rule and a rate rule for the same variable.

General summary of SBML rules

In SBML Level 3 as well as Level 2, rules are separated into three subclasses for the benefit of model analysis software. The three subclasses are based on the following three different possible functional forms (where x is a variable, f is some arbitrary function returning a numerical result, V is a vector of variables that does not include x, and W is a vector of variables that may include x):

Algebraic:left-hand side is zero0 = f(W)
Assignment:left-hand side is a scalar:x = f(V)
Rate:left-hand side is a rate-of-change:dx/dt = f(W)

In their general form given above, there is little to distinguish between assignment and algebraic rules. They are treated as separate cases for the following reasons:

  • Assignment rules can simply be evaluated to calculate intermediate values for use in numerical methods. They are statements of equality that hold at all times. (For assignments that are only performed once, see InitialAssignment.)
  • SBML needs to place restrictions on assignment rules, for example the restriction that assignment rules cannot contain algebraic loops.
  • Some simulators do not contain numerical solvers capable of solving unconstrained algebraic equations, and providing more direct forms such as assignment rules may enable those simulators to process models they could not process if the same assignments were put in the form of general algebraic equations;
  • Those simulators that can solve these algebraic equations make a distinction between the different categories listed above; and
  • Some specialized numerical analyses of models may only be applicable to models that do not contain algebraic rules.

The approach taken to covering these cases in SBML is to define an abstract Rule structure containing a subelement, 'math', to hold the right-hand side expression, then to derive subtypes of Rule that add attributes to distinguish the cases of algebraic, assignment and rate rules. The 'math' subelement must contain a MathML expression defining the mathematical formula of the rule. This MathML formula must return a numerical value. The formula can be an arbitrary expression referencing the variables and other entities in an SBML model.

Each of the three subclasses of Rule (AssignmentRule, AlgebraicRule, RateRule) inherit the the 'math' subelement and other fields from SBase. The AssignmentRule and RateRule classes add an additional attribute, 'variable'. See the definitions of AssignmentRule, AlgebraicRule and RateRule for details about the structure and interpretation of each one.

Additional restrictions on SBML rules

An important design goal of SBML rule semantics is to ensure that a model's simulation and analysis results will not be dependent on when or how often rules are evaluated. To achieve this, SBML needs to place two restrictions on rule use. The first concerns algebraic loops in the system of assignments in a model, and the second concerns overdetermined systems.

A model must not contain algebraic loops

The combined set of InitialAssignment, AssignmentRule and KineticLaw objects in a model constitute a set of assignment statements that should be considered as a whole. (A KineticLaw object is counted as an assignment because it assigns a value to the symbol contained in the 'id' attribute of the Reaction object in which it is defined.) This combined set of assignment statements must not contain algebraic loops—dependency chains between these statements must terminate. To put this more formally, consider a directed graph in which nodes are assignment statements and directed arcs exist for each occurrence of an SBML species, compartment or parameter symbol in an assignment statement's 'math' subelement. Let the directed arcs point from the statement assigning the symbol to the statements that contain the symbol in their 'math' subelement expressions. This graph must be acyclic.

SBML does not specify when or how often rules should be evaluated. Eliminating algebraic loops ensures that assignment statements can be evaluated any number of times without the result of those evaluations changing. As an example, consider the set of equations x = x + 1, y = z + 200 and z = y + 100. If this set of equations were interpreted as a set of assignment statements, it would be invalid because the rule for x refers to x (exhibiting one type of loop), and the rule for y refers to z while the rule for z refers back to y (exhibiting another type of loop). Conversely, the following set of equations would constitute a valid set of assignment statements: x = 10, y = z + 200, and z = x + 100.

A model must not be overdetermined

An SBML model must not be overdetermined; that is, a model must not define more equations than there are unknowns in a model. An SBML model that does not contain AlgebraicRule structures cannot be overdetermined.

LibSBML implements the static analysis procedure described in Appendix B of the SBML Level 3 Version 1 Core specification for assessing whether a model is overdetermined.

(In summary, assessing whether a given continuous, deterministic, mathematical model is overdetermined does not require dynamic analysis; it can be done by analyzing the system of equations created from the model. One approach is to construct a bipartite graph in which one set of vertices represents the variables and the other the set of vertices represents the equations. Place edges between vertices such that variables in the system are linked to the equations that determine them. For algebraic equations, there will be edges between the equation and each variable occurring in the equation. For ordinary differential equations (such as those defined by rate rules or implied by the reaction rate definitions), there will be a single edge between the equation and the variable determined by that differential equation. A mathematical model is overdetermined if the maximal matchings of the bipartite graph contain disconnected vertexes representing equations. If one maximal matching has this property, then all the maximal matchings will have this property; i.e., it is only necessary to find one maximal matching.)

Rule types for SBML Level 1

SBML Level 1 uses a different scheme than SBML Level 2 and Level 3 for distinguishing rules; specifically, it uses an attribute whose value is drawn from an enumeration of 3 values. LibSBML supports this using methods that work with the enumeration values listed below.

clone(RateRule self)   RateRule

Creates and returns a deep copy of this Rule.

Returns
a (deep) copy of this Rule.
def libsbml.Rule.containsUndeclaredUnits (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

containsUndeclaredUnits(Rule self)   bool
containsUndeclaredUnits(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if the math expression of this Rule contains parameters/numbers with undeclared units.

Returns
True if the math expression of this Rule includes parameters/numbers with undeclared units, False otherwise.
Note
A return value of True indicates that the UnitDefinition returned by getDerivedUnitDefinition() may not accurately represent the units of the expression.
See also
getDerivedUnitDefinition()
def libsbml.SBase.disablePackage (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

disablePackage(SBase self, string pkgURI, string pkgPrefix)   int

Disables the given SBML Level 3 package on this object.

This method disables the specified package on this object and other objects connected by child-parent links in the same SBMLDocument object.

An example of when this may be useful is during construction of model components when mixing existing and new models. Suppose your application read an SBML document containing a model that used the SBML Hierarchical Model Composition (“comp”) package, and extracted parts of that model in order to construct a new model in memory. The new, in-memory model will not accept a component drawn from another SBMLDocument with different package namespace declarations. You could reconstruct the same namespaces in the in-memory model first, but as a shortcut, you could also disable the package namespace on the object being added. Here is a code example to help clarify this:

import sys
import os.path
from libsbml import *

# We read in an SBML L3V1 model that uses the 'comp' package namespace
doc = readSBML('sbml-file-with-comp-elements.xml');

# We extract one of the species from the model we just read in.
s1 = doc.getModel().getSpecies(0);

# We construct a new model.  This model does not use the 'comp' package.
newDoc = SBMLDocument(3, 1);
newModel = newDoc.createModel();

# The following would fail with an error, because addSpecies() would
# first check that the parent of the given object has namespaces
# declared, and will discover that s1 does but newModel does not.

# newModel.addSpecies(s1);

# However, if we disable the 'comp' package on s1, then the call
# to addSpecies will work.

s1.disablePackage('http://www.sbml.org/sbml/level3/version1/comp/version1',
          'comp');
newModel.addSpecies(s1);
Parameters
pkgURIthe URI of the package
pkgPrefixthe XML prefix of the package
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
enablePackage()
def libsbml.SBase.enablePackage (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

enablePackage(SBase self, string pkgURI, string pkgPrefix, bool flag)   int

Enables or disables the given SBML Level 3 package on this object.

This method enables the specified package on this object and other objects connected by child-parent links in the same SBMLDocument object. This method is the converse of SBase.disablePackage().

Parameters
pkgURIthe URI of the package.
pkgPrefixthe XML prefix of the package
flagwhether to enable (True) or disable (False) the package
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
disablePackage()
def libsbml.SBase.getAncestorOfType (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getAncestorOfType(SBase self, int type, string pkgName="core")   SBase
getAncestorOfType(SBase self, int type)   SBase
getAncestorOfType(SBase self, int type, string pkgName="core")   SBase
getAncestorOfType(SBase self, int type)   SBase

Returns the first ancestor object that has the given SBML type code from the given package.

LibSBML attaches an identifying code to every kind of SBML object. These are known as SBML type codes. In the Python language interface for libSBML, the type codes are defined as static integer constants in the interface class libsbml. The names of the type codes all begin with the characters SBML_.

This method searches the tree of objects that are parents of this object, and returns the first one that has the given SBML type code from the given pkgName.

Parameters
typethe SBML type code of the object sought
pkgName(optional) the short name of an SBML Level 3 package to which the sought-after object must belong
Returns
the ancestor SBML object of this SBML object that corresponds to the given SBML object type code, or None if no ancestor exists.
Warning
The optional argument pkgName must be used for all type codes from SBML Level 3 packages. Otherwise, the function will search the 'core' namespace alone, not find any corresponding elements, and return None.
Documentation note:
The native C++ implementation of this method defines a default argument value. In the documentation generated for different libSBML language bindings, you may or may not see corresponding arguments in the method declarations. For example, in Java and C#, a default argument is handled by declaring two separate methods, with one of them having the argument and the other one lacking the argument. However, the libSBML documentation will be identical for both methods. Consequently, if you are reading this and do not see an argument even though one is described, please look for descriptions of other variants of this method near where this one appears in the documentation.
def libsbml.SBase.getAnnotation (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getAnnotation(SBase self)   XMLNode
getAnnotation(SBase self)   XMLNode

Returns the content of the 'annotation' subelement of this object as a tree of XMLNode objects.

Whereas the SBML 'notes' subelement is a container for content to be shown directly to humans, the 'annotation' element is a container for optional software-generated content not meant to be shown to humans. Every object derived from SBase can have its own value for 'annotation'. The element's content type is XML type 'any', allowing essentially arbitrary well-formed XML data content.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

The annotations returned by this method will be in XML form. LibSBML provides an object model and related interfaces for certain specific kinds of annotations, namely model history information and RDF content. See the ModelHistory, CVTerm and RDFAnnotationParser classes for more information about the facilities available.

Returns
the annotation of this SBML object as a tree of XMLNode objects.
See also
getAnnotationString()
isSetAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
unsetAnnotation()
def libsbml.SBase.getAnnotationString (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getAnnotationString(SBase self)   string
getAnnotationString(SBase self)   string

Returns the content of the 'annotation' subelement of this object as a character string.

Whereas the SBML 'notes' subelement is a container for content to be shown directly to humans, the 'annotation' element is a container for optional software-generated content not meant to be shown to humans. Every object derived from SBase can have its own value for 'annotation'. The element's content type is XML type 'any', allowing essentially arbitrary well-formed XML data content.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

The annotations returned by this method will be in string form. See the method getAnnotation() for a version that returns annotations in XML form.

Returns
the annotation of this SBML object as a character string.
See also
getAnnotation()
isSetAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
unsetAnnotation()
def libsbml.SBase.getColumn (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getColumn(SBase self)   long

Returns the column number on which this object first appears in the XML representation of the SBML document.

Returns
the column number of this SBML object.
Note
The column number for each construct in an SBML model is set upon reading the model. The accuracy of the column number depends on the correctness of the XML representation of the model, and on the particular XML parser library being used. The former limitation relates to the following problem: if the model is actually invalid XML, then the parser may not be able to interpret the data correctly and consequently may not be able to establish the real column number. The latter limitation is simply that different parsers seem to have their own accuracy limitations, and out of all the parsers supported by libSBML, none have been 100% accurate in all situations. (At this time, libSBML supports the use of libxml2, Expat and Xerces.)
See also
getLine()
def libsbml.SBase.getCVTerm (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getCVTerm(SBase self, long n)   CVTerm

Returns the nth CVTerm in the list of CVTerms of this SBML object.

Parameters
nlong the index of the CVTerm to retrieve
Returns
the nth CVTerm in the list of CVTerms for this SBML object.
def libsbml.SBase.getCVTerms (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getCVTerms()   CVTermList

Get the CVTermList of CVTerm objects in this SBase.

Returns the CVTermList for this SBase.

def libsbml.Rule.getDerivedUnitDefinition (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getDerivedUnitDefinition(Rule self)   UnitDefinition
getDerivedUnitDefinition(Rule self)   UnitDefinition

Calculates and returns a UnitDefinition that expresses the units of measurement assumed for the 'math' expression of this Rule.

The units are calculated based on the mathematical expression in the Rule and the model quantities referenced by <ci> elements used within that expression. The method Rule.getDerivedUnitDefinition() returns the calculated units, to the extent that libSBML can compute them.
Note
The functionality that facilitates unit analysis depends on the model as a whole. Thus, in cases where the object has not been added to a model or the model itself is incomplete, unit analysis is not possible and this method will return None.
Warning
Note that it is possible the 'math' expression in the Rule contains pure numbers or parameters with undeclared units. In those cases, it is not possible to calculate the units of the overall expression without making assumptions. LibSBML does not make assumptions about the units, and Rule.getDerivedUnitDefinition() only returns the units as far as it is able to determine them. For example, in an expression X + Y, if X has unambiguously-defined units and Y does not, it will return the units of X. It is important that callers also invoke the method Rule.containsUndeclaredUnits() to determine whether this situation holds. Callers may wish to take suitable actions in those scenarios.
Returns
a UnitDefinition that expresses the units of the math expression of this Rule, or None if one cannot be constructed.
See also
containsUndeclaredUnits()
def libsbml.SBase.getElementByMetaId (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getElementByMetaId(SBase self, string metaid)   SBase

Returns the first child element it can find with a specific 'metaid' attribute value, or None if no such object is found.

The optional attribute named 'metaid', present on every major SBML component type, is for supporting metadata annotations using RDF (Resource Description Format). The attribute value has the data type XML ID, the XML identifier type, which means each 'metaid' value must be globally unique within an SBML file. The latter point is important, because the uniqueness criterion applies across any attribute with type ID anywhere in the file, not just the 'metaid' attribute used by SBML—something to be aware of if your application-specific XML content inside the 'annotation' subelement happens to use the XML ID type. Although SBML itself specifies the use of XML ID only for the 'metaid' attribute, SBML-compatible applications should be careful if they use XML ID's in XML portions of a model that are not defined by SBML, such as in the application-specific content of the 'annotation' subelement. Finally, note that LibSBML does not provide an explicit XML ID data type; it uses ordinary character strings, which is easier for applications to support.
Parameters
metaidstring representing the 'metaid' attribute value of the object to find.
Returns
pointer to the first element found with the given meta-identifier.
def libsbml.SBase.getElementBySId (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getElementBySId(SBase self, string id)   SBase

Returns the first child element found that has the given id in the model-wide SId namespace, or None if no such object is found.

Parameters
idstring representing the 'id' attribute value of the object to find.
Returns
pointer to the first element found with the given identifier.
def libsbml.Rule.getElementName (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getElementName(Rule self)   string

Returns the XML element name of this object

The returned value can be any of a number of different strings, depending on the SBML Level in use and the kind of Rule object this is. The rules as of libSBML version 5.10.0 are the following:

  • (Level 2 and 3) RateRule: returns 'rateRule'
  • (Level 2 and 3) AssignmentRule: returns 'assignmentRule'
  • (Level 2 and 3) AlgebraicRule: returns 'algebraicRule'
  • (Level 1 Version 1) SpecieConcentrationRule: returns 'specieConcentrationRule'
  • (Level 1 Version 2) SpeciesConcentrationRule: returns 'speciesConcentrationRule'
  • (Level 1) CompartmentVolumeRule: returns 'compartmentVolumeRule'
  • (Level 1) ParameterRule: returns 'parameterRule'
  • Unknown rule type: returns 'unknownRule'

Beware that the last ('unknownRule') is not a valid SBML element name.

Returns
the name of this element
def libsbml.Rule.getFormula (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getFormula(Rule self)   string

Returns the mathematical expression of this Rule in text-string form.

The text string is produced by SBML_formulaToString(); please consult the documentation for that function to find out more about the format of the text-string formula.

Returns
the formula text string for this Rule.
Note
The attribute 'formula' is specific to SBML Level 1; in higher Levels of SBML, it has been replaced with a subelement named 'math'. However, libSBML provides a unified interface to the underlying math expression and this method can be used for models of all Levels of SBML.
See also
getMath()
def libsbml.Rule.getL1TypeCode (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getL1TypeCode(Rule self)   int

Returns the SBML Level 1 type code for this Rule object.

This method only applies to SBML Level 1 model objects. If this is not an SBML Level 1 rule object, this method will return SBML_UNKNOWN.

Returns
the SBML Level 1 type code for this Rule (namely, SBML_COMPARTMENT_VOLUME_RULE, SBML_PARAMETER_RULE, SBML_SPECIES_CONCENTRATION_RULE, or SBML_UNKNOWN).
def libsbml.SBase.getLevel (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getLevel(SBase self)   long

Returns the SBML Level of the SBMLDocument object containing this object.

LibSBML uses the class SBMLDocument as a top-level container for storing SBML content and data associated with it (such as warnings and error messages). An SBML model in libSBML is contained inside an SBMLDocument object. SBMLDocument corresponds roughly to the class SBML defined in the SBML Level 3 and Level 2 specifications, but it does not have a direct correspondence in SBML Level 1. (But, it is created by libSBML no matter whether the model is Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3.)
Returns
the SBML level of this SBML object.
See also
getVersion()
getNamespaces()
getPackageVersion()
def libsbml.SBase.getLine (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getLine(SBase self)   long

Returns the line number on which this object first appears in the XML representation of the SBML document.

Returns
the line number of this SBML object.
Note
The line number for each construct in an SBML model is set upon reading the model. The accuracy of the line number depends on the correctness of the XML representation of the model, and on the particular XML parser library being used. The former limitation relates to the following problem: if the model is actually invalid XML, then the parser may not be able to interpret the data correctly and consequently may not be able to establish the real line number. The latter limitation is simply that different parsers seem to have their own accuracy limitations, and out of all the parsers supported by libSBML, none have been 100% accurate in all situations. (At this time, libSBML supports the use of libxml2, Expat and Xerces.)
See also
getColumn()
def libsbml.SBase.getListOfAllElements (   self,
  filter = None 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getListOfAllElements(SBase self, ElementFilter filter=None)   SBaseList
getListOfAllElements(SBase self)   SBaseList

Returns an SBaseList of all child SBase objects, including those nested to an arbitrary depth.

Returns
an SBaseList
def libsbml.SBase.getListOfAllElementsFromPlugins (   self,
  filter = None 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getListOfAllElementsFromPlugins(SBase self, ElementFilter filter=None)   SBaseList
getListOfAllElementsFromPlugins(SBase self)   SBaseList

Returns an SBaseList of all child SBase objects contained in SBML package plugins.

This method walks down the list of all packages used by the model and returns all objects contained in them.

Returns
an SBaseList of all children objects from plugins.
def libsbml.Rule.getMath (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getMath(Rule self)   ASTNode

Get the mathematical formula of this Rule as an ASTNode tree.

Returns
an ASTNode, the value of the 'math' subelement of this Rule.
Note
The subelement 'math' is present in SBML Levels 2 and 3. In SBML Level 1, the equivalent construct is the attribute named 'formula'. LibSBML provides a unified interface to the underlying math expression and this method can be used for models of all Levels of SBML.
See also
getFormula()
def libsbml.SBase.getMetaId (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getMetaId(SBase self)   string

Returns the value of the 'metaid' attribute of this object.

The optional attribute named 'metaid', present on every major SBML component type, is for supporting metadata annotations using RDF (Resource Description Format). The attribute value has the data type XML ID, the XML identifier type, which means each 'metaid' value must be globally unique within an SBML file. The latter point is important, because the uniqueness criterion applies across any attribute with type ID anywhere in the file, not just the 'metaid' attribute used by SBML—something to be aware of if your application-specific XML content inside the 'annotation' subelement happens to use the XML ID type. Although SBML itself specifies the use of XML ID only for the 'metaid' attribute, SBML-compatible applications should be careful if they use XML ID's in XML portions of a model that are not defined by SBML, such as in the application-specific content of the 'annotation' subelement. Finally, note that LibSBML does not provide an explicit XML ID data type; it uses ordinary character strings, which is easier for applications to support.
Returns
the meta-identifier of this SBML object.
See also
isSetMetaId()
setMetaId()
def libsbml.SBase.getModel (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getModel(SBase self)   Model

Returns the Model object for the SBML Document in which the current object is located.

Returns
the Model object for the SBML Document of this SBML object.
See also
getParentSBMLObject()
getSBMLDocument()
def libsbml.SBase.getModelHistory (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getModelHistory(SBase self)   ModelHistory
getModelHistory(SBase self)   ModelHistory

Returns the ModelHistory object, if any, attached to this object.

Returns
the ModelHistory object attached to this object, or None if none exist.
Note
In SBML Level 2, model history annotations were only permitted on the Model element. In SBML Level 3, they are permitted on all SBML components derived from SBase.
def libsbml.SBase.getNamespaces (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getNamespaces(SBase self)   XMLNamespaces

Returns a list of the XML Namespaces declared on this SBML document.

The SBMLNamespaces object encapsulates SBML Level/Version/namespaces information. It is used to communicate the SBML Level, Version, and (in Level 3) packages used in addition to SBML Level 3 Core.

Returns
the XML Namespaces associated with this SBML object, or None in certain very usual circumstances where a namespace is not set.
See also
getLevel()
getVersion()
def libsbml.SBase.getNotes (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getNotes(SBase self)   XMLNode
getNotes(SBase self)   XMLNode

Returns the content of the 'notes' subelement of this object as a tree of XMLNode objects.

The optional SBML element named 'notes', present on every major SBML component type (and in SBML Level 3, the 'message' subelement of Constraint), is intended as a place for storing optional information intended to be seen by humans. An example use of the 'notes' element would be to contain formatted user comments about the model element in which the 'notes' element is enclosed. Every object derived directly or indirectly from type SBase can have a separate value for 'notes', allowing users considerable freedom when adding comments to their models.

The format of 'notes' elements conform to the definition of XHTML 1.0. However, the content cannot be entirely free-form; it must satisfy certain requirements defined in the SBML specifications for specific SBML Levels. To help verify the formatting of 'notes' content, libSBML provides the static utility method SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax(); The method implements a verification process that lets callers check whether the content of a given XMLNode object conforms to the SBML requirements for 'notes' and 'message' structure. Developers are urged to consult the appropriate SBML specification document for the Level and Version of their model for more in-depth explanations of using 'notes' in SBML. The SBML Level 2 and  3 specifications have considerable detail about how 'notes' element content must be structured.

The 'notes' element content returned by this method will be in XML form, but libSBML does not provide an object model specifically for the content of notes. Callers will need to traverse the XML tree structure using the facilities available on XMLNode and related objects. For an alternative method of accessing the notes, see getNotesString().

Returns
the content of the 'notes' subelement of this SBML object as a tree structure composed of XMLNode objects.
See also
getNotesString()
isSetNotes()
setNotes()
setNotes()
appendNotes()
appendNotes()
unsetNotes()
SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax()
def libsbml.SBase.getNotesString (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getNotesString(SBase self)   string
getNotesString(SBase self)   string

Returns the content of the 'notes' subelement of this object as a string.

The optional SBML element named 'notes', present on every major SBML component type (and in SBML Level 3, the 'message' subelement of Constraint), is intended as a place for storing optional information intended to be seen by humans. An example use of the 'notes' element would be to contain formatted user comments about the model element in which the 'notes' element is enclosed. Every object derived directly or indirectly from type SBase can have a separate value for 'notes', allowing users considerable freedom when adding comments to their models.

The format of 'notes' elements conform to the definition of XHTML 1.0. However, the content cannot be entirely free-form; it must satisfy certain requirements defined in the SBML specifications for specific SBML Levels. To help verify the formatting of 'notes' content, libSBML provides the static utility method SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax(); The method implements a verification process that lets callers check whether the content of a given XMLNode object conforms to the SBML requirements for 'notes' and 'message' structure. Developers are urged to consult the appropriate SBML specification document for the Level and Version of their model for more in-depth explanations of using 'notes' in SBML. The SBML Level 2 and  3 specifications have considerable detail about how 'notes' element content must be structured.

For an alternative method of accessing the notes, see getNotes(), which returns the content as an XMLNode tree structure. Depending on an application's needs, one or the other method may be more convenient.

Returns
the content of the 'notes' subelement of this SBML object as a string.
See also
getNotes()
isSetNotes()
setNotes()
setNotes()
appendNotes()
appendNotes()
unsetNotes()
SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax()
def libsbml.SBase.getNumCVTerms (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getNumCVTerms(SBase self)   long

Returns the number of CVTerm objects in the annotations of this SBML object.

Returns
the number of CVTerms for this SBML object.
def libsbml.SBase.getNumPlugins (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getNumPlugins(SBase self)   long

Returns the number of plug-in objects (extenstion interfaces) for SBML Level 3 package extensions known.

SBML Level 3 consists of a Core definition that can be extended via optional SBML Level 3 packages. A given model may indicate that it uses one or more SBML packages, and likewise, a software tool may be able to support one or more packages. LibSBML does not come preconfigured with all possible packages included and enabled, in part because not all package specifications have been finalized. To support the ability for software systems to enable support for the Level 3 packages they choose, libSBML features a plug-in mechanism. Each SBML Level 3 package is implemented in a separate code plug-in that can be enabled by the application to support working with that SBML package. A given SBML model may thus contain not only objects defined by SBML Level 3 Core, but also objects created by libSBML plug-ins supporting additional Level 3 packages.
Returns
the number of plug-in objects (extension interfaces) of package extensions known by this instance of libSBML.
def libsbml.SBase.getPackageName (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getPackageName(SBase self)   string

Returns the name of the SBML Level 3 package in which this element is defined.

Returns
the name of the SBML package in which this element is defined. The string "core" will be returned if this element is defined in SBML Level 3 Core. The string "unknown" will be returned if this element is not defined in any SBML package.
def libsbml.SBase.getPackageVersion (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getPackageVersion(SBase self)   long

Returns the Version of the SBML Level 3 package to which this element belongs to.

Returns
the version of the SBML Level 3 package to which this element belongs. The value 0 will be returned if this element belongs to the SBML Level 3 Core package.
See also
getLevel()
getVersion()
def libsbml.SBase.getParentSBMLObject (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getParentSBMLObject(SBase self)   SBase
getParentSBMLObject(SBase self)   SBase

Returns the parent SBML object containing this object.

This returns the immediately-containing object. This method is convenient when holding an object nested inside other objects in an SBML model.

Returns
the parent SBML object of this SBML object.
See also
getSBMLDocument()
getModel()
def libsbml.SBase.getPlugin (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getPlugin(SBase self, string package)   SBasePlugin
getPlugin(SBase self, string package)   SBasePlugin
getPlugin(SBase self, long n)   SBasePlugin
getPlugin(SBase self, long n)   SBasePlugin

This method has multiple variants that differ in the arguments they accept. Each is described separately below.


Method variant with the following signature:
getPlugin(long n)

Returns the nth plug-in object (extension interface) for an SBML Level 3 package extension.

SBML Level 3 consists of a Core definition that can be extended via optional SBML Level 3 packages. A given model may indicate that it uses one or more SBML packages, and likewise, a software tool may be able to support one or more packages. LibSBML does not come preconfigured with all possible packages included and enabled, in part because not all package specifications have been finalized. To support the ability for software systems to enable support for the Level 3 packages they choose, libSBML features a plug-in mechanism. Each SBML Level 3 package is implemented in a separate code plug-in that can be enabled by the application to support working with that SBML package. A given SBML model may thus contain not only objects defined by SBML Level 3 Core, but also objects created by libSBML plug-ins supporting additional Level 3 packages.
Parameters
nthe index of the plug-in to return
Returns
the plug-in object (the libSBML extension interface) of a package extension with the given package name or URI.

Method variant with the following signature:
getPlugin(string package)

Returns a plug-in object (extension interface) for an SBML Level 3 package extension with the given package name or URI.

SBML Level 3 consists of a Core definition that can be extended via optional SBML Level 3 packages. A given model may indicate that it uses one or more SBML packages, and likewise, a software tool may be able to support one or more packages. LibSBML does not come preconfigured with all possible packages included and enabled, in part because not all package specifications have been finalized. To support the ability for software systems to enable support for the Level 3 packages they choose, libSBML features a plug-in mechanism. Each SBML Level 3 package is implemented in a separate code plug-in that can be enabled by the application to support working with that SBML package. A given SBML model may thus contain not only objects defined by SBML Level 3 Core, but also objects created by libSBML plug-ins supporting additional Level 3 packages.
Parameters
packagethe name or URI of the package
Returns
the plug-in object (the libSBML extension interface) of a package extension with the given package name or URI.
def libsbml.SBase.getPrefix (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getPrefix(SBase self)   string

Returns the namespace prefix of this element.

def libsbml.SBase.getResourceBiologicalQualifier (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getResourceBiologicalQualifier(SBase self, string resource)   long

Returns the MIRIAM biological qualifier associated with the given resource.

In MIRIAM, qualifiers are an optional means of indicating the relationship between a model component and its annotations. There are two broad kinds of annotations: model and biological. The latter kind is used to qualify the relationship between a model component and a biological entity which it represents. Examples of relationships include 'is' and 'has part', but many others are possible. MIRIAM defines numerous relationship qualifiers to enable different software tools to qualify biological annotations in the same standardized way. In libSBML, the MIRIAM controlled-vocabulary annotations on an SBML model element are represented using lists of CVTerm objects, and the the MIRIAM biological qualifiers are represented using valueswhose names begin with BQB_ in the interface class libsbml.

This method searches the controlled-vocabulary annotations (i.e., the list of CVTerm objects) on the present object, then out of those that have biological qualifiers, looks for an annotation to the given resource. If such an annotation is found, it returns the type of biological qualifier associated with that resource as a valuewhose name begins with BQB_ from the interface class libsbml.

Parameters
resourcestring representing the resource; e.g., 'http://www.geneontology.org/#GO:0005892'.
Returns
the qualifier associated with the resource, or BQB_UNKNOWN if the resource does not exist.
Note
The set of MIRIAM biological qualifiers grows over time, although relatively slowly. The values are up to date with MIRIAM at the time of a given libSBML release. The set of values in list of BQB_ constants defined in libsbml may be expanded in later libSBML releases, to match the values defined by MIRIAM at that later time.
def libsbml.SBase.getResourceModelQualifier (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getResourceModelQualifier(SBase self, string resource)   long

Returns the MIRIAM model qualifier associated with the given resource.

In MIRIAM, qualifiers are an optional means of indicating the relationship between a model component and its annotations. There are two broad kinds of annotations: model and biological. The former kind is used to qualify the relationship between a model component and another modeling object. An example qualifier is 'isDerivedFrom', to indicate that a given component of the model is derived from the modeling object represented by the referenced resource. MIRIAM defines numerous relationship qualifiers to enable different software tools to qualify model annotations in the same standardized way. In libSBML, the MIRIAM controlled-vocabulary annotations on an SBML model element are represented using lists of CVTerm objects, and the the MIRIAM model qualifiers are represented using valueswhose names begin with BQM_ in the interface class libsbml.

This method method searches the controlled-vocabulary annotations (i.e., the list of CVTerm objects) on the present object, then out of those that have model qualifiers, looks for an annotation to the given resource. If such an annotation is found, it returns the type of type of model qualifier associated with that resource as a valuewhose name begins with BQM_ from the interface class libsbml.

Parameters
resourcestring representing the resource; e.g., 'http://www.geneontology.org/#GO:0005892'.
Returns
the model qualifier type associated with the resource, or BQM_UNKNOWN if the resource does not exist.
Note
The set of MIRIAM model qualifiers grows over time, although relatively slowly. The values are up to date with MIRIAM at the time of a given libSBML release. The set of values in list of BQM_ constants defined in libsbml may be expanded in later libSBML releases, to match the values defined by MIRIAM at that later time.
def libsbml.SBase.getSBMLDocument (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getSBMLDocument(SBase self)   SBMLDocument
getSBMLDocument(SBase self)   SBMLDocument

Returns the SBMLDocument object containing this object instance.

LibSBML uses the class SBMLDocument as a top-level container for storing SBML content and data associated with it (such as warnings and error messages). An SBML model in libSBML is contained inside an SBMLDocument object. SBMLDocument corresponds roughly to the class SBML defined in the SBML Level 3 and Level 2 specifications, but it does not have a direct correspondence in SBML Level 1. (But, it is created by libSBML no matter whether the model is Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3.)

This method allows the caller to obtain the SBMLDocument for the current object.

Returns
the parent SBMLDocument object of this SBML object.
See also
getParentSBMLObject()
getModel()
def libsbml.SBase.getSBOTerm (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getSBOTerm(SBase self)   int

Returns the integer portion of the value of the 'sboTerm' attribute of this object.

Beginning with SBML Level 2 Version 3, objects derived from SBase have an optional attribute named 'sboTerm' for supporting the use of the Systems Biology Ontology. In SBML proper, the data type of the attribute is a string of the form 'SBO:NNNNNNN', where 'NNNNNNN' is a seven digit integer number; libSBML simplifies the representation by only storing the 'NNNNNNN' integer portion. Thus, in libSBML, the 'sboTerm' attribute on SBase has data type int, and SBO identifiers are stored simply as integers. (For convenience, libSBML offers methods for returning both the integer form and a text-string form of the SBO identifier.)

SBO terms are a type of optional annotation, and each different class of SBML object derived from SBase imposes its own requirements about the values permitted for 'sboTerm'. Please consult the SBML Level 2 Version 4 specification for more information about the use of SBO and the 'sboTerm' attribute.

Returns
the value of the 'sboTerm' attribute as an integer, or -1 if the value is not set.
def libsbml.SBase.getSBOTermAsURL (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getSBOTermAsURL(SBase self)   string

Returns the identifiers.org URL representation of the 'sboTerm' attribute of this object.

This method returns the entire SBO identifier as a text string in the form 'http://identifiers.org/biomodels.sbo/SBO:NNNNNNN'.

SBO terms are a type of optional annotation, and each different class of SBML object derived from SBase imposes its own requirements about the values permitted for 'sboTerm'. Please consult the SBML Level 2 Version 4 specification for more information about the use of SBO and the 'sboTerm' attribute.

Returns
the value of the 'sboTerm' attribute as an identifiers.org URL (its value will be of the form 'http://identifiers.org/biomodels.sbo/SBO:NNNNNNN'), or an empty string if the value is not set.
def libsbml.SBase.getSBOTermID (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getSBOTermID(SBase self)   string

Returns the string representation of the 'sboTerm' attribute of this object.

Beginning with SBML Level 2 Version 3, objects derived from SBase have an optional attribute named 'sboTerm' for supporting the use of the Systems Biology Ontology. In SBML proper, the data type of the attribute is a string of the form 'SBO:NNNNNNN', where 'NNNNNNN' is a seven digit integer number; libSBML simplifies the representation by only storing the 'NNNNNNN' integer portion. Thus, in libSBML, the 'sboTerm' attribute on SBase has data type int, and SBO identifiers are stored simply as integers. This method returns the entire SBO identifier as a text string in the form 'SBO:NNNNNNN'.

SBO terms are a type of optional annotation, and each different class of SBML object derived from SBase imposes its own requirements about the values permitted for 'sboTerm'. Please consult the SBML Level 2 Version 4 specification for more information about the use of SBO and the 'sboTerm' attribute.

Returns
the value of the 'sboTerm' attribute as a string (its value will be of the form 'SBO:NNNNNNN'), or an empty string if the value is not set.
def libsbml.Rule.getType (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getType(Rule self)   long

Returns a code representing the type of rule this is.

Returns
the rule type, which will be one of the following three possible values:
Note
The attribute 'type' on Rule objects is present only in SBML Level 1. In SBML Level 2 and later, the type has been replaced by subclassing the Rule object.
def libsbml.Rule.getTypeCode (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getTypeCode(Rule self)   int

Returns the libSBML type code for this SBML object.

LibSBML attaches an identifying code to every kind of SBML object. These are integer constants known as SBML type codes. The names of all the codes begin with the characters “SBML_”. In the Python language interface for libSBML, the type codes are defined as static integer constants in the interface class libsbml. Note that different Level 3 package plug-ins may use overlapping type codes; to identify the package to which a given object belongs, call the getPackageName() method on the object.
Returns
the SBML type code for this object, either SBML_ASSIGNMENT_RULE, SBML_RATE_RULE, or SBML_ALGEBRAIC_RULE for SBML Core.
Warning
The specific integer values of the possible type codes may be reused by different Level 3 package plug-ins. Thus, to identifiy the correct code, it is necessary to invoke both getTypeCode() and getPackageName().
See also
getElementName()
getPackageName()
def libsbml.Rule.getUnits (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getUnits(Rule self)   string

Returns the units for the mathematical formula of this Rule.

Returns
the identifier of the units for the expression of this Rule.
Note
The attribute 'units' exists on SBML Level 1 ParameterRule objects only. It is not present in SBML Levels 2 and 3.
def libsbml.SBase.getURI (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getURI(SBase self)   string

Gets the namespace URI to which this element belongs to.

For example, all elements that belong to SBML Level 3 Version 1 Core must would have the URI 'http://www.sbml.org/sbml/level3/version1/core'; all elements that belong to Layout Extension Version 1 for SBML Level 3 Version 1 Core must would have the URI 'http://www.sbml.org/sbml/level3/version1/layout/version1/'

This function first returns the URI for this element by looking into the SBMLNamespaces object of the document with the its package name. If not found, it willreturn the XML namespace to which this element belongs.

Returns
the URI of this element
See also
getSBMLDocument()
getPackageName()
def libsbml.Rule.getVariable (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getVariable(Rule self)   string

Get the value of the 'variable' attribute of this Rule object.

In SBML Level 1, the different rule types each have a different name for the attribute holding the reference to the object constituting the left-hand side of the rule. (E.g., for SBML Level 1's SpeciesConcentrationRule the attribute is 'species', for CompartmentVolumeRule it is 'compartment', etc.) In SBML Levels 2 and 3, the only two types of Rule objects with a left-hand side object reference are AssignmentRule and RateRule, and both of them use the same name for attribute: 'variable'. In order to make it easier for application developers to work with all Levels of SBML, libSBML uses a uniform name for all such attributes, and it is 'variable', regardless of whether Level 1 rules or Level 2–3 rules are being used.
Returns
the identifier string stored as the 'variable' attribute value in this Rule, or None if this object is an AlgebraicRule object.
def libsbml.SBase.getVersion (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

getVersion(SBase self)   long

Returns the Version within the SBML Level of the SBMLDocument object containing this object.

LibSBML uses the class SBMLDocument as a top-level container for storing SBML content and data associated with it (such as warnings and error messages). An SBML model in libSBML is contained inside an SBMLDocument object. SBMLDocument corresponds roughly to the class SBML defined in the SBML Level 3 and Level 2 specifications, but it does not have a direct correspondence in SBML Level 1. (But, it is created by libSBML no matter whether the model is Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3.)
Returns
the SBML version of this SBML object.
See also
getLevel()
getNamespaces()
def libsbml.RateRule.hasRequiredAttributes (   self)

Python method signature(s):

hasRequiredAttributes(RateRule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if all the required attributes for this RateRule object have been set.

Note
In SBML Levels 2–3, the only required attribute for a RateRule object is 'variable'. For Level 1, where the equivalent attribute is known by different names ('compartment', 'species', or 'name', depending on the type of object), there is an additional required attribute called 'formula'.
Returns
True if the required attributes have been set, False otherwise.
def libsbml.Rule.hasRequiredElements (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

hasRequiredElements(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if all the required elements for this Rule object have been set.

The only required element for a Rule object is the 'math' subelement.

Returns
a boolean value indicating whether all the required elements for this object have been defined.
def libsbml.SBase.hasValidLevelVersionNamespaceCombination (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

hasValidLevelVersionNamespaceCombination(SBase self)   bool
def libsbml.Rule.isAlgebraic (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isAlgebraic(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule is an AlgebraicRule.

Returns
True if this Rule is an AlgebraicRule, False otherwise.
def libsbml.Rule.isAssignment (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isAssignment(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule is an AssignmentRule.

Returns
True if this Rule is an AssignmentRule, False otherwise.
def libsbml.Rule.isCompartmentVolume (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isCompartmentVolume(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule is an CompartmentVolumeRule or equivalent.

This libSBML method works for SBML Level 1 models (where there is such a thing as an explicit CompartmentVolumeRule), as well as other Levels of SBML. For Levels above Level 1, this method checks the symbol being affected by the rule, and returns True if the symbol is the identifier of a Compartment object defined in the model.

Returns
True if this Rule is a CompartmentVolumeRule, False otherwise.
def libsbml.SBase.isPackageEnabled (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isPackageEnabled(SBase self, string pkgName)   bool

Predicate returning True if the given SBML Level 3 package is enabled with this object.

The search ignores the package version.

Parameters
pkgNamethe name of the package
Returns
True if the given package is enabled within this object, false otherwise.
See also
isPackageURIEnabled()
def libsbml.SBase.isPackageURIEnabled (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isPackageURIEnabled(SBase self, string pkgURI)   bool

Predicate returning True if an SBML Level 3 package with the given URI is enabled with this object.

Parameters
pkgURIthe URI of the package
Returns
True if the given package is enabled within this object, false otherwise.
See also
isPackageEnabled()
def libsbml.Rule.isParameter (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isParameter(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule is an ParameterRule or equivalent.

This libSBML method works for SBML Level 1 models (where there is such a thing as an explicit ParameterRule), as well as other Levels of SBML. For Levels above Level 1, this method checks the symbol being affected by the rule, and returns True if the symbol is the identifier of a Parameter object defined in the model.

Returns
True if this Rule is a ParameterRule, False otherwise.
def libsbml.SBase.isPkgEnabled (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isPkgEnabled(SBase self, string pkgName)   bool

Predicate returning True if the given SBML Level 3 package is enabled with this object.

The search ignores the package version.

Parameters
pkgNamethe name of the package
Returns
True if the given package is enabled within this object, false otherwise.
See also
isPkgURIEnabled()
def libsbml.SBase.isPkgURIEnabled (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isPkgURIEnabled(SBase self, string pkgURI)   bool

Predicate returning True if an SBML Level 3 package with the given URI is enabled with this object.

Parameters
pkgURIthe URI of the package
Returns
True if the given package is enabled within this object, false otherwise.
See also
isPkgEnabled()
def libsbml.Rule.isRate (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isRate(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule is a RateRule (SBML Levels 2–3) or has a 'type' attribute value of 'rate' (SBML Level 1).

Returns
True if this Rule is a RateRule (Level 2) or has type 'rate' (Level 1), False otherwise.
def libsbml.Rule.isScalar (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isScalar(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule is an AssignmentRule (SBML Levels 2–3) or has a 'type' attribute value of 'scalar' (SBML Level 1).

Returns
True if this Rule is an AssignmentRule (Level 2) or has type 'scalar' (Level 1), False otherwise.
def libsbml.SBase.isSetAnnotation (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isSetAnnotation(SBase self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this object's 'annotation' subelement exists and has content.

Whereas the SBase 'notes' subelement is a container for content to be shown directly to humans, the 'annotation' element is a container for optional software-generated content not meant to be shown to humans. Every object derived from SBase can have its own value for 'annotation'. The element's content type is XML type 'any', allowing essentially arbitrary well-formed XML data content.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

Returns
True if a 'annotation' subelement exists, False otherwise.
See also
getAnnotation()
getAnnotationString()
setAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
unsetAnnotation()
def libsbml.Rule.isSetFormula (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isSetFormula(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule's mathematical expression is set.

This method is equivalent to isSetMath(). This version is present for easier compatibility with SBML Level 1, in which mathematical formulas were written in text-string form.

Returns
True if the mathematical formula for this Rule is set, False otherwise.
Note
The attribute 'formula' is specific to SBML Level 1; in higher Levels of SBML, it has been replaced with a subelement named 'math'. However, libSBML provides a unified interface to the underlying math expression and this method can be used for models of all Levels of SBML.
See also
isSetMath()
def libsbml.Rule.isSetMath (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isSetMath(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule's mathematical expression is set.

This method is equivalent to isSetFormula().

Returns
True if the formula (or equivalently the math) for this Rule is set, False otherwise.
Note
The subelement 'math' is present in SBML Levels 2 and 3. In SBML Level 1, the equivalent construct is the attribute named 'formula'. LibSBML provides a unified interface to the underlying math expression and this method can be used for models of all Levels of SBML.
See also
isSetFormula()
def libsbml.SBase.isSetMetaId (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isSetMetaId(SBase self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this object's 'metaid' attribute is set.

The optional attribute named 'metaid', present on every major SBML component type, is for supporting metadata annotations using RDF (Resource Description Format). The attribute value has the data type XML ID, the XML identifier type, which means each 'metaid' value must be globally unique within an SBML file. The latter point is important, because the uniqueness criterion applies across any attribute with type ID anywhere in the file, not just the 'metaid' attribute used by SBML—something to be aware of if your application-specific XML content inside the 'annotation' subelement happens to use the XML ID type. Although SBML itself specifies the use of XML ID only for the 'metaid' attribute, SBML-compatible applications should be careful if they use XML ID's in XML portions of a model that are not defined by SBML, such as in the application-specific content of the 'annotation' subelement. Finally, note that LibSBML does not provide an explicit XML ID data type; it uses ordinary character strings, which is easier for applications to support.
Returns
True if the 'metaid' attribute of this SBML object is set, False otherwise.
See also
getMetaId()
setMetaId()
def libsbml.SBase.isSetModelHistory (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isSetModelHistory(SBase self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this object has a ModelHistory object attached to it.

Returns
True if the ModelHistory of this object is set, false otherwise.
Note
In SBML Level 2, model history annotations were only permitted on the Model element. In SBML Level 3, they are permitted on all SBML components derived from SBase.
def libsbml.SBase.isSetNotes (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isSetNotes(SBase self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this object's 'notes' subelement exists and has content.

The optional SBML element named 'notes', present on every major SBML component type, is intended as a place for storing optional information intended to be seen by humans. An example use of the 'notes' element would be to contain formatted user comments about the model element in which the 'notes' element is enclosed. Every object derived directly or indirectly from type SBase can have a separate value for 'notes', allowing users considerable freedom when adding comments to their models.

The format of 'notes' elements must be XHTML 1.0. To help verify the formatting of 'notes' content, libSBML provides the static utility method SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax(); however, readers are urged to consult the appropriate SBML specification document for the Level and Version of their model for more in-depth explanations. The SBML Level 2 and  3 specifications have considerable detail about how 'notes' element content must be structured.

Returns
True if a 'notes' subelement exists, False otherwise.
See also
getNotes()
getNotesString()
setNotes()
setNotes()
appendNotes()
appendNotes()
unsetNotes()
SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax()
def libsbml.SBase.isSetSBOTerm (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isSetSBOTerm(SBase self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this object's 'sboTerm' attribute is set.

Returns
True if the 'sboTerm' attribute of this SBML object is set, False otherwise.
def libsbml.Rule.isSetUnits (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isSetUnits(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule's 'units' attribute is set.

Returns
True if the units for this Rule is set, False otherwise
Note
The attribute 'units' exists on SBML Level 1 ParameterRule objects only. It is not present in SBML Levels 2 and 3.
def libsbml.Rule.isSetVariable (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isSetVariable(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule's 'variable' attribute is set.

In SBML Level 1, the different rule types each have a different name for the attribute holding the reference to the object constituting the left-hand side of the rule. (E.g., for SBML Level 1's SpeciesConcentrationRule the attribute is 'species', for CompartmentVolumeRule it is 'compartment', etc.) In SBML Levels 2 and 3, the only two types of Rule objects with a left-hand side object reference are AssignmentRule and RateRule, and both of them use the same name for attribute: 'variable'. In order to make it easier for application developers to work with all Levels of SBML, libSBML uses a uniform name for all such attributes, and it is 'variable', regardless of whether Level 1 rules or Level 2–3 rules are being used.
Returns
True if the 'variable' attribute value of this Rule is set, False otherwise.
def libsbml.Rule.isSpeciesConcentration (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

isSpeciesConcentration(Rule self)   bool

Predicate returning True if this Rule is a SpeciesConcentrationRule or equivalent.

This libSBML method works for SBML Level 1 models (where there is such a thing as an explicit SpeciesConcentrationRule), as well as other Levels of SBML. For Levels above Level 1, this method checks the symbol being affected by the rule, and returns True if the symbol is the identifier of a Species object defined in the model.

Returns
True if this Rule is a SpeciesConcentrationRule, False otherwise.
def libsbml.SBase.matchesRequiredSBMLNamespacesForAddition (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

matchesRequiredSBMLNamespacesForAddition(SBase self, SBase sb)   bool
matchesRequiredSBMLNamespacesForAddition(SBase self, SBase sb)   bool

Returns True if this object's set of XML namespaces are a subset of the given object's XML namespaces.

The SBMLNamespaces object encapsulates SBML Level/Version/namespaces information. It is used to communicate the SBML Level, Version, and (in Level 3) packages used in addition to SBML Level 3 Core. A common approach to using libSBML's SBMLNamespaces facilities is to create an SBMLNamespaces object somewhere in a program once, then hand that object as needed to object constructors that accept SBMLNamespaces as arguments.
Parameters
sban object to compare with respect to namespaces
Returns
boolean, True if this object's collection of namespaces is a subset of sb's, False otherwise.
def libsbml.SBase.matchesSBMLNamespaces (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

matchesSBMLNamespaces(SBase self, SBase sb)   bool
matchesSBMLNamespaces(SBase self, SBase sb)   bool

Returns True if this object's set of XML namespaces are the same as the given object's XML namespaces.

The SBMLNamespaces object encapsulates SBML Level/Version/namespaces information. It is used to communicate the SBML Level, Version, and (in Level 3) packages used in addition to SBML Level 3 Core. A common approach to using libSBML's SBMLNamespaces facilities is to create an SBMLNamespaces object somewhere in a program once, then hand that object as needed to object constructors that accept SBMLNamespaces as arguments.
Parameters
sban object to compare with respect to namespaces
Returns
boolean, True if this object's collection of namespaces is the same as sb's, False otherwise.
def libsbml.SBase.removeFromParentAndDelete (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

removeFromParentAndDelete(SBase self)   int

Removes this object from its parent.

If the parent was storing this object as a pointer, it is deleted. If not, it is simply cleared (as in ListOf objects). This is a pure virtual method, as every SBase element has different parents, and therefore different methods of removing itself. Will fail (and not delete itself) if it has no parent object. This function is designed to be overridden, but for all objects whose parent is of the class ListOf, the default implementation will work.

Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
def libsbml.SBase.removeTopLevelAnnotationElement (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

removeTopLevelAnnotationElement(SBase self, string elementName, string elementURI="", bool removeEmpty=True)   int
removeTopLevelAnnotationElement(SBase self, string elementName, string elementURI="")   int
removeTopLevelAnnotationElement(SBase self, string elementName)   int

Removes the top-level element within the 'annotation' subelement of this SBML object with the given name and optional URI.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

Calling this method allows a particular annotation element to be removed whilst the remaining annotations remain intact.

Parameters
elementNamea string representing the name of the top level annotation element that is to be removed
elementURIan optional string that is used to check both the name and URI of the top level element to be removed
removeEmptyif after removing of the element, the annotation is empty, and the removeEmpty argument is true, the annotation node will be deleted (default).
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
replaceTopLevelAnnotationElement()
replaceTopLevelAnnotationElement()
def libsbml.SBase.renameMetaIdRefs (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

renameMetaIdRefs(SBase self, string oldid, string newid)

Renames all the meta-identifier attributes on this element.

In SBML, object 'meta' identifiers are of the XML data type ID; the SBML object attribute itself is typically named metaid. All attributes that hold values referring to values of type ID are of the XML data type IDREF. They are also sometimes informally referred to as 'metaid refs', in analogy to the SBML-defined type SIdRef.

This method works by looking at all meta-identifier attribute values, comparing the identifiers to the value of oldid. If any matches are found, the matching identifiers are replaced with newid. The method does not descend into child elements.

Parameters
oldidthe old identifier
newidthe new identifier
def libsbml.RateRule.renameSIdRefs (   self,
  args 
)

Python method signature(s):

renameSIdRefs(RateRule self, string oldid, string newid)

Renames all the SIdRef attributes on this element, including any found in MathML.

In SBML, object identifiers are of a data type called SId. In SBML Level 3, an explicit data type called SIdRef was introduced for attribute values that refer to SId values; in previous Levels of SBML, this data type did not exist and attributes were simply described to as 'referring to an identifier', but the effective data type was the same as SIdRefin Level 3. These and other methods of libSBML refer to the type SIdRef for all Levels of SBML, even if the corresponding SBML specification did not explicitly name the data type.

This method works by looking at all attributes and (if appropriate) mathematical formulas, comparing the identifiers to the value of oldid. If any matches are found, the matching identifiers are replaced with newid. The method does not descend into child elements.

Parameters
oldidthe old identifier
newidthe new identifier
def libsbml.Rule.renameUnitSIdRefs (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

renameUnitSIdRefs(Rule self, string oldid, string newid)

Renames all the UnitSIdRef attributes on this element.

In SBML, unit definitions have identifiers of type UnitSId. In SBML Level 3, an explicit data type called UnitSIdRef was introduced for attribute values that refer to UnitSId values; in previous Levels of SBML, this data type did not exist and attributes were simply described to as 'referring to a unit identifier', but the effective data type was the same as UnitSIdRef in Level 3. These and other methods of libSBML refer to the type UnitSIdRef for all Levels of SBML, even if the corresponding SBML specification did not explicitly name the data type.

This method works by looking at all unit identifier attribute values (including, if appropriate, inside mathematical formulas), comparing the unit identifiers to the value of oldid. If any matches are found, the matching identifiers are replaced with newid. The method does not descend into child elements.

Parameters
oldidthe old identifier
newidthe new identifier
def libsbml.SBase.replaceTopLevelAnnotationElement (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

replaceTopLevelAnnotationElement(SBase self, XMLNode annotation)   int
replaceTopLevelAnnotationElement(SBase self, string annotation)   int

This method has multiple variants that differ in the arguments they accept. Each is described separately below.


Method variant with the following signature:
replaceTopLevelAnnotationElement(XMLNode annotation)

Replaces the given top-level element within the 'annotation' subelement of this SBML object and with the annotation element supplied.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

This method determines the name of the element to be replaced from the annotation argument. Functionally it is equivalent to calling removeTopLevelAnnotationElement(name) followed by calling appendAnnotation(annotation_with_name), with the exception that the placement of the annotation element remains the same.

Parameters
annotationXMLNode representing the replacement top level annotation
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
removeTopLevelAnnotationElement()
replaceTopLevelAnnotationElement()

Method variant with the following signature:
replaceTopLevelAnnotationElement(string annotation)

Replaces the given top-level element within the 'annotation' subelement of this SBML object and with the annotation element supplied.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

This method determines the name of the element to be replaced from the annotation argument. Functionally it is equivalent to calling removeTopLevelAnnotationElement(name) followed by calling appendAnnotation(annotation_with_name), with the exception that the placement of the annotation element remains the same.

Parameters
annotationstring representing the replacement top level annotation
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
removeTopLevelAnnotationElement()
replaceTopLevelAnnotationElement()
def libsbml.SBase.setAnnotation (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setAnnotation(SBase self, XMLNode annotation)   int
setAnnotation(SBase self, string annotation)   int

This method has multiple variants that differ in the arguments they accept. Each is described separately below.


Method variant with the following signature:
setAnnotation(XMLNode annotation)

Sets the value of the 'annotation' subelement of this SBML object.

The content of annotation is copied, and any previous content of this object's 'annotation' subelement is deleted.

Whereas the SBase 'notes' subelement is a container for content to be shown directly to humans, the 'annotation' element is a container for optional software-generated content not meant to be shown to humans. Every object derived from SBase can have its own value for 'annotation'. The element's content type is XML type 'any', allowing essentially arbitrary well-formed XML data content.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

Call this method will result in any existing content of the 'annotation' subelement to be discarded. Unless you have taken steps to first copy and reconstitute any existing annotations into the annotation that is about to be assigned, it is likely that performing such wholesale replacement is unfriendly towards other software applications whose annotations are discarded. An alternative may be to use SBase.appendAnnotation() or SBase.appendAnnotation().

Parameters
annotationan XML structure that is to be used as the new content of the 'annotation' subelement of this object
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getAnnotationString()
isSetAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
unsetAnnotation()

Method variant with the following signature:
setAnnotation(string annotation)

Sets the value of the 'annotation' subelement of this SBML object.

The content of annotation is copied, and any previous content of this object's 'annotation' subelement is deleted.

Whereas the SBase 'notes' subelement is a container for content to be shown directly to humans, the 'annotation' element is a container for optional software-generated content not meant to be shown to humans. Every object derived from SBase can have its own value for 'annotation'. The element's content type is XML type 'any', allowing essentially arbitrary well-formed XML data content.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

Call this method will result in any existing content of the 'annotation' subelement to be discarded. Unless you have taken steps to first copy and reconstitute any existing annotations into the annotation that is about to be assigned, it is likely that performing such wholesale replacement is unfriendly towards other software applications whose annotations are discarded. An alternative may be to use SBase.appendAnnotation() or SBase.appendAnnotation().

Parameters
annotationan XML string that is to be used as the content of the 'annotation' subelement of this object
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getAnnotationString()
isSetAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
unsetAnnotation()
def libsbml.Rule.setFormula (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setFormula(Rule self, string formula)   int

Sets the 'math' subelement of this Rule to an expression in text-string form.

This is equivalent to setMath(ASTNode math). The provision of using text-string formulas is retained for easier SBML Level 1 compatibility. The formula is converted to an ASTNode internally.

Parameters
formulaa mathematical formula in text-string form.
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
Note
The attribute 'formula' is specific to SBML Level 1; in higher Levels of SBML, it has been replaced with a subelement named 'math'. However, libSBML provides a unified interface to the underlying math expression and this method can be used for models of all Levels of SBML.
See also
setMath()
def libsbml.Rule.setL1TypeCode (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setL1TypeCode(Rule self, int type)   int

Sets the SBML Level 1 type code for this Rule.

Parameters
typethe SBML Level 1 type code for this Rule. The allowable values are SBML_COMPARTMENT_VOLUME_RULE, SBML_PARAMETER_RULE, and SBML_SPECIES_CONCENTRATION_RULE.
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
def libsbml.Rule.setMath (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setMath(Rule self, ASTNode math)   int

Sets the 'math' subelement of this Rule to a copy of the given ASTNode.

Parameters
maththe long structure of the mathematical formula.
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
Note
The subelement 'math' is present in SBML Levels 2 and 3. In SBML Level 1, the equivalent construct is the attribute named 'formula'. LibSBML provides a unified interface to the underlying math expression and this method can be used for models of all Levels of SBML.
See also
setFormula()
def libsbml.SBase.setMetaId (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setMetaId(SBase self, string metaid)   int

Sets the value of the meta-identifier attribute of this object.

The optional attribute named 'metaid', present on every major SBML component type, is for supporting metadata annotations using RDF (Resource Description Format). The attribute value has the data type XML ID, the XML identifier type, which means each 'metaid' value must be globally unique within an SBML file. The latter point is important, because the uniqueness criterion applies across any attribute with type ID anywhere in the file, not just the 'metaid' attribute used by SBML—something to be aware of if your application-specific XML content inside the 'annotation' subelement happens to use the XML ID type. Although SBML itself specifies the use of XML ID only for the 'metaid' attribute, SBML-compatible applications should be careful if they use XML ID's in XML portions of a model that are not defined by SBML, such as in the application-specific content of the 'annotation' subelement. Finally, note that LibSBML does not provide an explicit XML ID data type; it uses ordinary character strings, which is easier for applications to support.

The string metaid is copied.

Parameters
metaidthe identifier string to use as the value of the 'metaid' attribute
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getMetaId()
isSetMetaId()
def libsbml.SBase.setModelHistory (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setModelHistory(SBase self, ModelHistory history)   int

Sets the ModelHistory of this object.

The content of history is copied, and this object's existing model history content is deleted.

Parameters
historyModelHistory of this object.
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
Note
In SBML Level 2, model history annotations were only permitted on the Model element. In SBML Level 3, they are permitted on all SBML components derived from SBase.
def libsbml.SBase.setNamespaces (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setNamespaces(SBase self, XMLNamespaces xmlns)   int

Sets the namespaces relevant of this SBML object.

The content of xmlns is copied, and this object's existing namespace content is deleted.

The SBMLNamespaces object encapsulates SBML Level/Version/namespaces information. It is used to communicate the SBML Level, Version, and (in Level 3) packages used in addition to SBML Level 3 Core.

Parameters
xmlnsthe namespaces to set
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
def libsbml.SBase.setNotes (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setNotes(SBase self, XMLNode notes)   int
setNotes(SBase self, string notes, bool addXHTMLMarkup=False)   int
setNotes(SBase self, string notes)   int

This method has multiple variants that differ in the arguments they accept. Each is described separately below.


Method variant with the following signature:
setNotes(string notes, bool addXHTMLMarkup = false)

Sets the value of the 'notes' subelement of this SBML object to a copy of the string notes.

The content of notes is copied, and any existing content of this object's 'notes' subelement is deleted.

The optional SBML element named 'notes', present on every major SBML component type, is intended as a place for storing optional information intended to be seen by humans. An example use of the 'notes' element would be to contain formatted user comments about the model element in which the 'notes' element is enclosed. Every object derived directly or indirectly from type SBase can have a separate value for 'notes', allowing users considerable freedom when adding comments to their models.

The format of 'notes' elements must be XHTML 1.0. To help verify the formatting of 'notes' content, libSBML provides the static utility method SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax(); however, readers are urged to consult the appropriate SBML specification document for the Level and Version of their model for more in-depth explanations. The SBML Level 2 and  3 specifications have considerable detail about how 'notes' element content must be structured.

The following code illustrates a very simple way of setting the notes using this method. Here, the object being annotated is the whole SBML document, but that is for illustration purposes only; you could of course use this same approach to annotate any other SBML component.

Parameters
notesan XML string that is to be used as the content of the 'notes' subelement of this object
addXHTMLMarkupa boolean indicating whether to wrap the contents of the notes argument with XHTML paragraph (<p>) tags. This is appropriate when the string in notes does not already containg the appropriate XHTML markup.
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getNotesString()
isSetNotes()
setNotes()
appendNotes()
appendNotes()
unsetNotes()
SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax()

Method variant with the following signature:
setNotes(XMLNode notes)

Sets the value of the 'notes' subelement of this SBML object.

The content of notes is copied, and any existing content of this object's 'notes' subelement is deleted.

The optional SBML element named 'notes', present on every major SBML component type, is intended as a place for storing optional information intended to be seen by humans. An example use of the 'notes' element would be to contain formatted user comments about the model element in which the 'notes' element is enclosed. Every object derived directly or indirectly from type SBase can have a separate value for 'notes', allowing users considerable freedom when adding comments to their models.

The format of 'notes' elements must be XHTML 1.0. To help verify the formatting of 'notes' content, libSBML provides the static utility method SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax(); however, readers are urged to consult the appropriate SBML specification document for the Level and Version of their model for more in-depth explanations. The SBML Level 2 and  3 specifications have considerable detail about how 'notes' element content must be structured.

Parameters
notesan XML structure that is to be used as the content of the 'notes' subelement of this object
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getNotesString()
isSetNotes()
setNotes()
appendNotes()
appendNotes()
unsetNotes()
SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax()
def libsbml.SBase.setSBOTerm (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setSBOTerm(SBase self, int value)   int
setSBOTerm(SBase self, string sboid)   int

This method has multiple variants that differ in the arguments they accept. Each is described separately below.


Method variant with the following signature:
setSBOTerm(int value)

Sets the value of the 'sboTerm' attribute.

Beginning with SBML Level 2 Version 3, objects derived from SBase have an optional attribute named 'sboTerm' for supporting the use of the Systems Biology Ontology. In SBML proper, the data type of the attribute is a string of the form 'SBO:NNNNNNN', where 'NNNNNNN' is a seven digit integer number; libSBML simplifies the representation by only storing the 'NNNNNNN' integer portion. Thus, in libSBML, the 'sboTerm' attribute on SBase has data type int, and SBO identifiers are stored simply as integers.

SBO terms are a type of optional annotation, and each different class of SBML object derived from SBase imposes its own requirements about the values permitted for 'sboTerm'. Please consult the SBML Level 2 Version 4 specification for more information about the use of SBO and the 'sboTerm' attribute.

Parameters
valuethe NNNNNNN integer portion of the SBO identifier
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
setSBOTerm()

Method variant with the following signature:
setSBOTerm(string &sboid)

Sets the value of the 'sboTerm' attribute by string.

Beginning with SBML Level 2 Version 3, objects derived from SBase have an optional attribute named 'sboTerm' for supporting the use of the Systems Biology Ontology. In SBML proper, the data type of the attribute is a string of the form 'SBO:NNNNNNN', where 'NNNNNNN' is a seven digit integer number; libSBML simplifies the representation by only storing the 'NNNNNNN' integer portion. Thus, in libSBML, the 'sboTerm' attribute on SBase has data type int, and SBO identifiers are stored simply as integers. This method lets you set the value of 'sboTerm' as a complete string of the form 'SBO:NNNNNNN', whereas setSBOTerm(int value) allows you to set it using the integer form.

SBO terms are a type of optional annotation, and each different class of SBML object derived from SBase imposes its own requirements about the values permitted for 'sboTerm'. Please consult the SBML Level 2 Version 4 specification for more information about the use of SBO and the 'sboTerm' attribute.

Parameters
sboidthe SBO identifier string of the form 'SBO:NNNNNNN'
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
setSBOTerm()
def libsbml.Rule.setUnits (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setUnits(Rule self, string sname)   int

Sets the units for this Rule.

Parameters
snamethe identifier of the units
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
Note
The attribute 'units' exists on SBML Level 1 ParameterRule objects only. It is not present in SBML Levels 2 and 3.
def libsbml.Rule.setVariable (   self,
  args 
)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

setVariable(Rule self, string sid)   int

Sets the 'variable' attribute value of this Rule object.

In SBML Level 1, the different rule types each have a different name for the attribute holding the reference to the object constituting the left-hand side of the rule. (E.g., for SBML Level 1's SpeciesConcentrationRule the attribute is 'species', for CompartmentVolumeRule it is 'compartment', etc.) In SBML Levels 2 and 3, the only two types of Rule objects with a left-hand side object reference are AssignmentRule and RateRule, and both of them use the same name for attribute: 'variable'. In order to make it easier for application developers to work with all Levels of SBML, libSBML uses a uniform name for all such attributes, and it is 'variable', regardless of whether Level 1 rules or Level 2–3 rules are being used.
Parameters
sidthe identifier of a Compartment, Species or Parameter elsewhere in the enclosing Model object.
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
def libsbml.SBase.toSBML (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

toSBML(SBase self)   string *

Returns a string consisting of a partial SBML corresponding to just this object.

Returns
the partial SBML that describes this SBML object.
Warning
This is primarily provided for testing and debugging purposes. It may be removed in a future version of libSBML.
def libsbml.SBase.toXMLNode (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

toXMLNode(SBase self)   XMLNode

Returns this element as an XMLNode.

Returns
this element as an XMLNode.
Warning
This operation is computationally expensive, because the element has to be fully serialized to a string and then parsed into the XMLNode structure. Attempting to convert a large tree structure (e.g., a large Model) may consume significant computer memory and time.
def libsbml.SBase.unsetAnnotation (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

unsetAnnotation(SBase self)   int

Unsets the value of the 'annotation' subelement of this SBML object.

Whereas the SBase 'notes' subelement is a container for content to be shown directly to humans, the 'annotation' element is a container for optional software-generated content not meant to be shown to humans. Every object derived from SBase can have its own value for 'annotation'. The element's content type is XML type 'any', allowing essentially arbitrary well-formed XML data content.

SBML places a few restrictions on the organization of the content of annotations; these are intended to help software tools read and write the data as well as help reduce conflicts between annotations added by different tools. Please see the SBML specifications for more details.

Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getAnnotation()
getAnnotationString()
isSetAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
setAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
appendAnnotation()
def libsbml.SBase.unsetCVTerms (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

unsetCVTerms(SBase self)   int

Clears the list of CVTerm objects attached to this SBML object.

Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
def libsbml.SBase.unsetId (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

unsetId(SBase self)   int

Unsets the value of the 'id' attribute of this SBML object.

Most (but not all) objects in SBML include two common attributes: 'id' and 'name'. The identifier given by an object's 'id' attribute value is used to identify the object within the SBML model definition. Other objects can refer to the component using this identifier.

Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
def libsbml.SBase.unsetMetaId (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

unsetMetaId(SBase self)   int

Unsets the value of the 'metaid' attribute of this SBML object.

The optional attribute named 'metaid', present on every major SBML component type, is for supporting metadata annotations using RDF (Resource Description Format). The attribute value has the data type XML ID, the XML identifier type, which means each 'metaid' value must be globally unique within an SBML file. The latter point is important, because the uniqueness criterion applies across any attribute with type ID anywhere in the file, not just the 'metaid' attribute used by SBML—something to be aware of if your application-specific XML content inside the 'annotation' subelement happens to use the XML ID type. Although SBML itself specifies the use of XML ID only for the 'metaid' attribute, SBML-compatible applications should be careful if they use XML ID's in XML portions of a model that are not defined by SBML, such as in the application-specific content of the 'annotation' subelement. Finally, note that LibSBML does not provide an explicit XML ID data type; it uses ordinary character strings, which is easier for applications to support.
Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
def libsbml.SBase.unsetModelHistory (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

unsetModelHistory(SBase self)   int

Unsets the ModelHistory object attached to this object.

Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
Note
In SBML Level 2, model history annotations were only permitted on the Model element. In SBML Level 3, they are permitted on all SBML components derived from SBase.
def libsbml.SBase.unsetName (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

unsetName(SBase self)   int

Unsets the value of the 'name' attribute of this SBML object.

Most (but not all) objects in SBML include two common attributes: 'id' and 'name'. In contrast to the 'id' attribute, the 'name' attribute is optional and is not intended to be used for cross-referencing purposes within a model. Its purpose instead is to provide a human-readable label for the component. The data type of 'name' is the type string defined in XML Schema. SBML imposes no restrictions as to the content of 'name' attributes beyond those restrictions defined by the string type in XML Schema.

The recommended practice for handling 'name' is as follows. If a software tool has the capability for displaying the content of 'name' attributes, it should display this content to the user as a component's label instead of the component's 'id'. If the user interface does not have this capability (e.g., because it cannot display or use special characters in symbol names), or if the 'name' attribute is missing on a given component, then the user interface should display the value of the 'id' attribute instead. (Script language interpreters are especially likely to display 'id' instead of 'name'.)

As a consequence of the above, authors of systems that automatically generate the values of 'id' attributes should be aware some systems may display the 'id''s to the user. Authors therefore may wish to take some care to have their software create 'id' values that are: (a) reasonably easy for humans to type and read; and (b) likely to be meaningful, for example by making the 'id' attribute be an abbreviated form of the name attribute value.

An additional point worth mentioning is although there are restrictions on the uniqueness of 'id' values, there are no restrictions on the uniqueness of 'name' values in a model. This allows software applications leeway in assigning component identifiers.

Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
def libsbml.SBase.unsetNotes (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

unsetNotes(SBase self)   int

Unsets the value of the 'notes' subelement of this SBML object.

The optional SBML element named 'notes', present on every major SBML component type, is intended as a place for storing optional information intended to be seen by humans. An example use of the 'notes' element would be to contain formatted user comments about the model element in which the 'notes' element is enclosed. Every object derived directly or indirectly from type SBase can have a separate value for 'notes', allowing users considerable freedom when adding comments to their models.

The format of 'notes' elements must be XHTML 1.0. To help verify the formatting of 'notes' content, libSBML provides the static utility method SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax(); however, readers are urged to consult the appropriate SBML specification document for the Level and Version of their model for more in-depth explanations. The SBML Level 2 and  3 specifications have considerable detail about how 'notes' element content must be structured.

Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
See also
getNotesString()
isSetNotes()
setNotes()
setNotes()
appendNotes()
appendNotes()
SyntaxChecker.hasExpectedXHTMLSyntax()
def libsbml.SBase.unsetSBOTerm (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

unsetSBOTerm(SBase self)   int

Unsets the value of the 'sboTerm' attribute of this SBML object.

Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
def libsbml.Rule.unsetUnits (   self)
inherited

Python method signature(s):

unsetUnits(Rule self)   int

Unsets the 'units' for this Rule.

Returns
integer value indicating success/failure of the function. The possible values returned by this function are:
Note
The attribute 'units' exists on SBML Level 1 ParameterRule objects only. It is not present in SBML Levels 2 and 3.